SUSPECTED BOKO HARAM MEMBERS KILL POLICEMAN IN BORNO
FOUR suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), Gomari, in the northern city of Maiduguri, Borno State capital, killing a police constable, Amos Tangurda. Akila Solomon, the security guard of the church, sustained gunshot injuries.
The attacks, which took place at about 7.15 p.m. on Sunday night, lasted for five minutes before the armed men fled in a car to the neighbouring community of Bulunkutu, four kilometres south of the Maiduguri International Airport.
Confirming the attack yesterday at the scene of the incident, the Police Commissioner, Mohammed Abubakar, said: 'We lost one of our police constables after four suspected gunmen attacked this church in Gomari ward near the airport. The two policemen guarding the church could not resist the firing powers of the assassins when Tangurda fell to the ground and lost his gun to the outlawed suspected Boko Haram sect members last night at about 7.15 p.m.'
Rev. Elshah Gufwan of COCIN told The Guardian: 'We were in the house when we heard some gunshots and within four minutes, the gunmen fired several shots into the church wall and entrances'.
He added that even the choir classroom and the church bus were not spared by the armed suspects.
Gufwan said the choir classroom and the bus were riddled with gunshots, stating that no single church member was killed. He added that the security guard sustained gunshot wounds in his limbs and was taken to the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for treatment.
On whether arrests were made, the police chief said several arrests were made last night following the information provided by some residents.
He said as soon as investigations were completed by the police, the suspects would be paraded at the police headquarters. He also stated that the police were in full control of the security situation in Maiduguri because more residents were cooperating with the police by providing information on the activities and hideouts of the Boko Haram sect members.